1. Field of Invention
A pitched baseball spins according to the type of pitch which has been thrown. Different types of pitches include fastball, curveball, and slider. Although how the baseball spins can vary from pitcher to pitcher, there is a manner in which the baseball spins that can be considered typical for each type of pitch. Being able to recognize what is typical for each type of pitch, helps the batter to know what to look for when he is reading the spin of a pitched baseball. When a batter can read the spin of the pitched baseball, he knows what type of pitch is coming and he can better adjust his swing for the type of pitch.
The operation of this invention creates a spin on a ball. That ball that is spun looks like a baseball. The spin that is created is the same spin as the spin for a particular type of pitch.
2. Description of Prior Art
The conventional method to practice reading the spin of a pitched baseball requires a pitcher to pitch a ball to a catcher. Therefore the conventional method has the following disadvantages:
A catcher is needed to usually stop the ball's flight PA1 A backstop is needed to sometimes stop the ball's flight PA1 For safety, an area surrounding the ball's flight must be kept vacant; therefore, the activity must take place in a large area, usually outdoors PA1 For safety, the ball's flight prohibits more than one batter standing in a batter's box at the same time PA1 Catch (or retrieve) and throw back of the thrown ball takes time PA1 There must be enough skilled pitchers able to throw enough pitches for all the practicing batters PA1 a ball which looks like a baseball PA1 a spindle to transmit rotational movement from an electric drill to the ball PA1 bores within the ball to provide the spindle access within the ball and to provide means to prevent slippage between the spindle and the ball PA1 specific locations where a bore appears on the ball's surface to create spins with specific and intended axes of rotation. PA1 1. The revolutions per minute of the spin on a pitched baseball is in the same range as the r.p.m.'s induced by common electric motors such as the motor and gear systems found in hand held electric drills. A 1959 paper by Lyman J. Briggs, in the American Journal of Physics, p. 593, shows pitched ball spins range from 600 to 1600 r.p.m.'s. PA1 2. For the distance in which a batter must read the spin of a pitched ball (the first quarter of its movement from pitcher to batter), the batter's perspective of the pitched ball spin remains almost the same. That is, both the side to side and up and down angles between the batter's line of sight and the direction of the ball changes insignificantly for the ball's first quarter of flight. This happens regardless of what type of batter (left handed or right handed) faces what type of pitcher (left handed or right handed, side arm or over hand). Attachment I contains calculation results showing the changes in the left to right and up and down angles of a pitched ball through the distance the batter must read the pitched ball spin. Thus, even though a spinning baseball created by this invention has no forward movement, the spin appears the same as a spin on a baseball that was pitched.